🔥 PHOENIX RECOMMENDED 🔥
Developer (Platform): Remedy Entertainment (PlayStation 5)
Publisher (Release): 505 Games (2019)
Length: 15-20 hours
Genres: Adult; Sci-Fi; Fantasy; Horror; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
content contains moderate horror themes
severe flashing lights warning
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must play
👍 Pros 👍
Incredibly story and world
Merges sci-fi and horror into a delicious atmosphere
Paranormal powers are punchy and explosive
👎 Cons 👎
The finale is just a tad lacklustre
Enemy variety could use some work
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Jesse Faden experienced a horrific, unworldly event as a child, an event that led to the disappearance of all the adults in her town of Ordinary. Separated from her brother by a shadowy government agency, Jesse, now an adult, is guided by a mysterious force to the Oldest House, the current residence of the Federal Bureau of Control. Intent on finding out what happened to her brother, Jesse will have to contend with a house in disarray as a malevolent force known as The Hiss corrupts and spreads, aiming for a world that has no idea such a threat even exists.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Control is, without a doubt, my favourite fresh property in the past decade. Set in Remedy’s Connected Universe alongside Alan Wake, Control showcases a passionate developer confident in their skills. Inspired by the paranormal phenomenon of the SCP Foundation, players are treated to a rich story populated by rich characters in a tantalisingly rich world.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Control’s story straddles two avenues: Jesse Faden’s more focused introduction to the weird world of the paranormal and that world’s little interlocking stories that paint a vast canvass of mystical science fiction. Both are paced with precision, complimenting each other by letting one breathe before it runs out of steam. The Oldest House, the ever-changing, TARDIS-like location of Control, is a joy to explore, with lore galore that players will pour over with their detective hats, piecing together the fantastical with a myriad of theories.
Behind the poster on your wall
Jesse’s journey is more personal but works well in introducing us to an overwhelming world in a grounded way. It’s engaging and emotional, and, while I’m not fully sold on the, in my opinion, lacklustre finale, Control’s painstakingly woven world is ripe with future potential.
The Board watches and demands…accepting only success
…Control’s painstakingly woven world is ripe with future potential.
🎭 Characters 🎭
Courtney Hope brings protagonist Jesse Faden to life with impeccable talent. Both are complete badasses but with vulnerability and heart. The trauma that Jesse has faced and continues to face is stitched into her development from wandering loner to dedicated director. Personally, I enjoyed her character much more than Alan Wake’s, whose more brash and smug demeanour can be hit or miss.
Courtney Hope shines as Jesse Faden
Supporting characters are also much improved from my experience with Alan Wake, which has some pretty awesome cast members itself. While a little too static given the events of the game, they’re suitably colourful and offer quality development given you take the time to talk to them.
Courtney Hope brings protagonist Jesse Faden to life with impeccable talent.
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Despite all the undeniable attention given to the above, Control is still a game and an absolute whopper of one at that. A third-person action-adventure, players are treated to a chaotically bombastic demonstration of destruction. Gifted a tight array of paranormal abilities, levitating around throwing chunks of debris while firing a shape-shifting gun never, ever gets tiring.
I’m basically Scarlet Witch
Bathed in rich reds and corporate greys, Control focuses more on its physics than fidelity (not that its graphical quality is poor by any stretch of the imagination). Just about everything breaks and, when you realise that, you’ll spend a shameful amount of time on a destructive rampage with your punchy and wholly satisfying powers.
Control has undeniable style and personality
If that’s not enough to sell you (I mean, come on), then the delicious sci-fi atmosphere just has to. Mixed with more than a dash of horror, Control is come for the power, stay for the mystery.
…players are treated to a chaotically bombastic demonstration of destruction.
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Control is a beast of a game that effortlessly builds a world and history of such richness that that alone would carry it to success. Luckily, Remedy didn’t stop there, and, giving major kudos to writer Sam Lake, we’re treated to a personal and epic story of peeling back the layers of reality, of facing the mundane and not allowing it to constrain us. Gameplay boasts a chaotic collection of paranormal abilities that showcase the destructive physics that the developers undoubtedly pushed the technical limits on, and the haunting atmosphere promises many a mystery to come, cementing Control as one of the best games I’ve played in the last decade.
The Phoenix Project 